Mountain Mayhem draws 110 youth wrestlers to Oakhurst

They weighed between 36 and 136 pounds - they had skills - they were fierce - they were competitive. They were the 110 youth wrestlers (K-5th grade) who came to Yosemite High School Feb. 28 to compete in Mountain Mayhem, a youth wrestling tournament that has drawn youth teams to Oakhurst for more than 30 years.

The tournament originated as King of the Hill, under the direction of Leonard Brown, and transitioned to Mountain Mayhem, under the direction of Yosemite High wrestling coach Kent Lincoln.

The Yosemite Badger Youth Wrestling team (K-8) hosted the tournament. The team is coached by volunteers Jeff Guynn, Roger Brillhart, and three YHS senior wrestlers - Matthew Springer, Quinn Hilliard, and BraveHeart Sauceda.

“It’s a lot of fun teaching the kids how to wrestle, and it’s great to see each member of the team grow as a wrestler and as a person,” Springer said.

Colton Courtney, 5, is wrestling for the first time this year, being encouraged by his mother, Melissa. He is a member of the 40-member Yosemite Badger Youth Wrestling team.

The season did not start well for Colton, a kindergartner at Coarsegold Elementary School, losing his first seven matches. But he stuck with it, and things turned-around for the 34-pounder, winning his ffive matches, including three at Mountain Mayham.

Zeta Nelson, an 8-year-old third grader at Wasuma Elementary School in Ahwahnee wrestling for the first time this season, is the only girl on the Yosemite team. She placed third in her weight class at the tournament, receiving a medal, and said she likes the sport of wrestling.

The mini-wrestlers performed before a crowd of more than 200 at the YHS gymnasium.

Junior High team places fifth

On Sunday, March 1, the Yosemite Youth Badger Junior High team placed fifth out of 15 teams in the Mid State Champions Tournament, hosted by the Sierra Chieftan Wrestling Program. The top three places will advance to the Nor-Cal Tounament of Champions Dat , LOCATION. Badgers who placed were: